Race relations need a dialogue

The Daily News

Thursday

Jul 18, 2013 at 12:01 AMJul 18, 2013 at 7:25 PM

Some people are likely suffering from withdrawal symptoms this week. Theyíve been watching the blow-by-blow coverage of George Zimmermanís trial on the various cable outlets. He was acquitted Saturday of second-degree murder and manslaughter in a Florida criminal trial that held the nationís attention.

Some people are likely suffering from withdrawal symptoms this week. Theyíve been watching the blow-by-blow coverage of George Zimmermanís trial on the various cable outlets. He was acquitted Saturday of second-degree murder and manslaughter in a Florida criminal trial that held the nationís attention.

A 24-hour news cycle can leave holes in programming. Thatís why trials that grab the nationís attention have become a staple of television news. It takes them weeks to play out, and they go all day long. Lawyers with a flair for drama are as entertaining as award-winning actresses and actors.

Some news-making trials involve celebrities like former football player and B-movie actor O.J. Simpson. Sometimes the circumstances are unusual and sensational, as with Jodie Arias or Casey Anthony. Whether a defendant is on trial for murder or, if a celebrity, for a trivial misdemeanor, it must catch the publicís attention.

Or it can be about an issue that makes people across the nation talk. Such was the case with the George Zimmerman trial.

Had the accused and the victim both been black or both been white, the case might have attracted little attention. Indeed, this year alone, dozens of young black men like Trayvon Martin have died violent deaths in cities throughout the country. We donít know their names or faces because their deaths and the trials of the people accused of killing them havenít become grist for the cable television trial mill.

But that wasnít the case in Sanford, Fla. The victim was black and the accused considered himself Hispanic but many referred to him as white which gave the trial a racial dimension.

In this case, the jury appears to have followed the law and reached the correct decision. And under different circumstances, the verdict would have generated little controversy. But with the added racial dimension, the conversation will continue well after the verdict has been reached.

Every time something like this happens, there is a call for a ďconversation about race.Ē There is no shortage of conversations about race in America. But generally, people mean they want a conversation about race within the narrow parameters that they establish.

Many blacks want a conversation about race that discusses why racism persists in this country. Whites sometimes suggest a conversation that questions why we canít get past the issue of race and have a colorblind society.

In truth, it seems few people want a racial dialogue; they want a monologue.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.